Grinding machine



Nav. 28, 1944. R Y 2,363,946

GRINDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 28, 194:5

Patented Nov. 28, 1944 GRINDING MACHINE Langdon W. Curry, Fall River, Mass, assignor to Brown and Sharpe Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Rhode Island Application January 28, 1943, Serial No. 473,836

3 Claims.

The present invention relates tagrinding machines, and is herein disclosed 'in a preferred form as embodied in a surface grinding machine of the general type having a vertically movable grinding wheel spindle carriage, and a work supporting assembly which includes a transversely movable saddle support and a work support longitudinally movable thereon.

In the performance of certain types of grinding operations as, for example, a finish grinding operation upon a surface grinding machine, difficulty has been encountered by inexperienced operators in moving the grinding wheel downwardly to the precise grinding position in which the grinding wheel is in grinding contact with, but will not cut too deeply into the surface of the work. Inasmuch as the depth of cut of a finish grinding operation such as that referred to, may normally run from one quarter to one thousandths of an inch, it will readily be seen that the greatest skill and care must be exercised to avoid grooving or otherwiseirreparably injuring a substantially finished work piece.

It is an object of the present invention t provide in a machine of this general description, a gauging device which forms an integral part of the machine, and is adapted for the assistance of the operator in moving the grinding wheel quickly and accurately to a position of grinding contact with the work, and without risk of grooving or otherwise injuring the work piece.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a surface grinding machine having a work engaging device which is rendered operative by relative movement of the grinding wheel carriage and work supporting assembly -for accurately gauging the depth feeding movement of the grinding wheel with relation tothe surface of the work piece upon which the grinding operation is to be performed.

With these and other objects in view, the several features of the invention consist in the devices, combinations and arrangement of parts hereinafterdescribed and claimed, which together with the advantages to be obtained thereby will be readily understood by one skilled in the art from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a. view in front elevation of a surface grinding machine embodying the several features of applicants invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail view, on an enlarged scale of the work depth feeding gauge shown in Fig. 1, together with a portion of the grinding wheel and grinding wheel guard to which the gauge is attached: and Fig. 3 is a view in right side elevation of substantially the parts shown in Fig. 2.

The surface grinding machine illustrated in the drawing, is of a conventional type comprising a base ID, a work supporting assembly carried thereon including a transversely movable saddle support l2 and a longitudinally movable work support or table l4, and a vertically adjustable grinding wheel spindle slide I supported for vertical adjustment on ways ll formed on column I6. The machine is provided with a grinding wheel l8 and a grinding wheel spindle 20 as indicated generally in Fig. 2.. The grinding wheel and its supporting shaft are covered by a guard 22 rigidly connected to move as a unit with the vertically adjustable grinding wheel spindle support I1.

Vertical adjustment of the grinding wheel support is effected through operating connections including a hand wheel 24. As indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the hand wheel is connected in a conventional manner through a hand wheel shaft, a vertically arranged feed screw secured to the slide l5, and a pair of bevel gears, one of which is secured to the shaft, and the other of which is threaded to the feed screw for raising and lowering the same. Further illustration or description of these connections is omitted, inasmuch as they form specifically no part of the present invention. For a construction adapted to the same purpose, reference may be had to the patent to Maglott No. 2,127,877. The work support l4 and saddle l2 are arranged to be operated by power, or alternatively may be shifted through the operation of manual means including a hand wheel 26 for imparting transverse positioning movements to the saddle support [2, and a hand wheel 28 for imparting longitudinal movements to the work table l4. Specific illustration of the connections for operating the saddle I2 and work table l4 has been omitted, for the reason that these connections form specifically no part of the present invention, and have been fully illustrated and described in the patent to Levesque et al. No. 2,240,506.

In accordance with the invention, the illustrated surface grinding machine is provided with a gauge which may be rendered operative during the downward movement of the grinding wheel support to indicate the approach of the grinding wheel to the work contact or finish grinding position. The gauge is in the form of a dial indicator 30 which may be of ordinary constructicn comprising with the dial a pointer 32 and a contact member 34 which is usually supported in an extended position, and acts when forced upwardly to impart a corresponding rotational movement to the pointer 32. The dial indicator 3!) is rigidly secured to the lower end of a vertical rod 36 which is adjustably supported in a bracket 38, being rigidly held in adjusted position by means of a clamping screw 40. The bracket 38 is adjustably supported on a vertical post 42 which is rigidly mounted in a lug 44 formed integrally with the upper guard 22. The bracket 38 is adiustably secured to the post 42 by means of a clamping screw 46. A flne adjustmet of the vertical osition of the dial indicater so with relation to the grinding wheel 13 is obtained through connections which comprise a second bracket 48 supported on the post 42,

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment shown, and that various deviations may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a grinding machine, the combination of a grinding wheel, a grinding wheel spindle, a grinding wheel spindle support and a work support, said supports being constructed and arranged for relative movement toward and away from one another to provide a depth feed of the grinding wheel toward the work, and for relative positiongrinding wheel in the direction of feed and transvcrsely thereof by a substantial amount, so that the work supporting assembly and work piece thereon may be manipulated to cause the work piece to be located selectively in the path of movement of the gauge during the downward depth feeding movement of the grinding wheel support and grinding wheel thereon, and in grinding position with respect to the grinding wheel. As will be evident from an inspection of Figs. 2 and 3, the dial indicator is supported substantially to the right and forwardly of the grinding wheel [8.

In setting up the device for operation, the position of the dial indicator vertically with relation to the grinding wheel is adjusted so that for a predetermined reading of the pointer 32, the engaging surface of the contact member 34 is located in the same horizontal plane with the work engaging surface portion of the grinding wheel I8. The desired adjustment of the position of the dial indicator is obtained by moving the grinding wheel downwardly into an engaging relation with the horizontal work piece, and thereafter by moving the work piece in the horizontal plane beneath the contact member 34. The bracket 38 may then be vertically adjusted to bringthe pointer 32 to the zero reading. In the operation of the machine when it is desired to move the grinding wheel 18 downwardly into grinding engagement with a work piece for the performance of a finish surface grinding operation thereon, the work piece is moved by manipulat on of the work table I4 and saddle I2 to bring the work piece into the downward path of movement of the dial indicator 34 and out of the path of movement of the grinding wheel l8. The operator is now in a position to move the grinding wheel support I1 rapidly downwardly by manipulation of the hand wheel 24, this downward movement being terminated when the contact member 34 is engaged with the work piece and has been forced upwardly a sufficient distance to bring the pointer 32 to the zero position. It will be evident that no particular skill on the part of the operator is required for this operat'on, since during this operation the grinding wheel 18 is out of alignment with the work piece, and any excessive downward movement of the grinding support l1 and wheel It has the effect merely of pushing the pointer 32 beyond the zero position. After the correct position has been reached. as indicated by the position of the pointer 32 of the dial indicator, the work piece is then moved into operative position beneath the grinding wheel I8 for the performance of the finish grinding operation.

ing movements in a plane normalto the direction of said depth feeding movements, a gauge secured to move as a unit with the grinding Wheel spindle support having a contact member the contact surface of which is arranged for one reading of said gauge to be located in the same plane normal to the direction of said depth feeding movements with the work engaging surface portion of the grinding wheel, said contact member being spaced from the grinding wheel in said plane to permit relative positioning movement of said supports in said normal plane to locate the work selectively in the path of movement of the gauge during said relative depth feeding movements of said supports, and in grinding position with respect to the grinding wheel.

2. In a surface grinding machine, the combination of a grinding wheel, a grinding wheel spindle, a grinding wheel spindle support and a work support, said supports being constructed and arranged for relative movement vertically toward and away from one another and for relative transverse and longitudinal movement in a horizontal plane, a gauge secured to move as a unit with the grinding wheel spindle support having a contact member the contact surface of which is arranged for one reading of said gauge to be located in the same horizontal plane with the work engaging surface portion of the grinding wheel, said contact member being spaced from the grinding wheel in said plane along the line of movement of the work support and transverse: ly thereof, whereby relative lateral and longitudinal movements of said supports in the horizontal plane are effective to locate the work selectively in the path of vertical movement of the gauge relatively thereto, and in grinding position with respect to the grinding wheel.

3. In a surface grinding machine, the combination of a work support assembly comprising longitudinally and transversely extending supports shiftable in a horizontal plane, a' grinding wheel, a grinding wheel spindle, a grinding wheel spindle carriage vertically shiftable to move the grinding wheel toward and away from the plane of work engaging contact, a gauge secured to move as a unit with the grinding wheel carriage and having a contact member, the contact surface of which is arranged for one reading of said gauge to be located in the same horizontal plane with the work engaging surface portion of the grinding wheel, said contact member being spaced from the grinding wheel in said plane along the line of movement of the work support and transversely thereof, whereby lateral and longitudinal movements of said support assembly are effective to locate the work in a horizontal plane selectively in the path of downward movement of the gauge with the grinding wheel and in grinding position with respect to the grinding wheel.

LANGDON W. CURRY. 

